First Contact
by pitchpearlgirl
Summary: A continuation of the Hundred Meetings chapter 'Of First Contact'. Bobby goes back to that building.
1. Chapter 1

so its been awhile huh. i uh. lost motivation. but hey im back so pleasedonthurtme

anyways i heard the chapter of hundred meetings 'of first contact' was popular, so im working on a continuation. itll be short, only a few chapters, but its something. i built too big a universe for this to stay a oneshot

so here we go! two more chapters after this to go

also in case you couldnt tell, you might wanna read the above mentioned chapter before you read this. it wont make sense otherwise

* * *

"I'm gonna go explore," Press said once they arrived back at the bombed-out building. "I'll be back in about six hours. That sound good to you? Enough time to draw? I don't know how much time you'll need, I'm not an artist."

Bobby nodded, glancing behind him. "Yeah, that's good. I'm good. Thanks. You can go now." He sat down on the ground, pulling out the sketchbook and charcoal he brought to keep up appearances and waiting for Press to leave.

He hung around a moment, looking for something Bobby might need help with. After confirming that yes, Bobby has his pulse rifle and yes, his rations are bundled in his pack, he won't forget to eat in a few hours, Press tromped off through the woods, compass in hand.

Bobby waited for the sounds of movement to fade, then shot to his feet. Throwing his materials back in his pack, he ran into the building and called out.

"Dane! I'm back!" he shouted. "Uncle Press is gone too, so you don't have to worry about hiding!"

The alien darted out from a doorway nearby and scooped Bobby up in a hug, spinning him around high in the air. Bobby kicked his feet, laughing, until he was set back down. Dane crouched in front of him, pressing their foreheads together. His tendrils wound around Bobby's neck and the connection sparked to life.

 _I see someone missed me,_ Bobby joked.

Fondness seeped through the mental link, tinged with pink affection. _I have been alone for four millennia. Any sight is a welcome one._

Bobby laughed again, pushing Dane's shoulder. _Just admit it. I'm irresistable._

 _Yes, you are._

He flushed, embarrassed, and Dane chuckled before continuing. _Your mind is unlike any other I know. It is complex, latching onto my methods and patterns without hesitation. Where another creature would feel overwhelmed, you thrive. You are fascinated. Your mind is beautiful._

Bobby did feel overwhelmed, though for a different reason. The praise the alien kept showering him with was accompanied by flashes of color; waves of yellow happiness, orange pride, the pale pink tinges of affection and something darker, deeper red that Bobby couldn't quite place. He chased that red feeling, closing his eyes and pushing against it. It enveloped him, warm, burning in its intensity, before suddenly disappearing.

Bobby felt a locked door spring between him and the color, the feeling he so desperately wanted to explore, to understand. His eyes opened of their own accord, gazing up into the mild panic expressed in Dane's eyes.

The look disappeared as well, masked by curiosity and affection. Golden flitted on the edges of Bobby's vision, but he pushed past it and asked a question he'd been wondering. "What about you? I know a little about your world and how it ended, what about you?"

Dane shook his head, dislodging his feelers from where they rested delicately on Bobby's neck. They returned, an air of diffidence ghosting in his mind. _My past is as plain and boring as my appearance. Any excitement in it came from when my world fell, and that is a subject too painful to relive so soon._

 _Soon?_ Bobby wondered. _Dude, it's been like four thousand years. How long do you guys even live?_

 _The Aula'in usually live up to ten thousand years, most of them longer,_ Dane thought after a moment of hesitation. _That is, naturally. War tends to shorten that drastically._

Bobby winced. _Sorry, I didn't mean to pry again._

Dane scooped the smaller one up in his arms, rising to his full height. Bobby clung to his shoulders so he didn't fall. The feelers wrapped around his neck, delicate end pressing to his temples, throwing the dark cathedral into sharp relief. Everything shimmered with a faint golden sheen, silver tracing the edge of his vision.

The alien brought them over to a stone bench near the pedestal filled with liquid, lowering himself until they sat together, Bobby cradled in his lap. His tail curled around, resting on Bobby's knees, the bioluminescence-speckled skin dazzling in its brightness.

He ran his hand down the blazing trail of light that followed Dane's spinal cord, fingers tracing the constellations picked out with bright stars of light. Long, slender arms pulled him into a cool chest, light grey skin contrasting with the dark blue of his skintight planetside suit. Bobby pulled his gloves off, dropping them on the bench and running his hand along the tail in his lap again. The skin was cool to the touch and soft, but sturdy when he pressed down with his palm. It felt like petting a stingray, if the description Spader had given him was accurate, but less slimy.

"Your skin is really soft," Bobby murmured.

Dane chuckled, leaning back against the stone wall. One of his hands played in Bobby's hair, the three digits sliding pleasantly against his scalp. Bobby sighed, reaching up for one of the feelers that rested on his collarbone and twining it around his fingers. The color tinging his vision faded as part of the connection was lost, but not before sharp red flooded what he saw.

Bobby gasped at the same time as Dane. He turned in the alien's lap, a questioning tone to his thoughts.

The third eye, which usually sat wide open and unblinking, taking in all it saw from the middle of his slanted forehead, was now half-lidded and darkened. Navy blue swirled in its depths, blocking out the glittering ice color it usually was. Dane's other two eyes were wide, darker as well but not as dark.

 _Enough of that._ Dane clasped his hand, lowering it from where it fiddled with the tentacle. His mental voice echoed in Bobby's head. _You know not what you do._

Bobby gulped, nodding. Nervous energy bubbled under his skin, but he couldn't tell whose it was. He lowered his hand, now contained within the larger, smoother hand of the alien. Bioluminescent markings speckled the back of the hand, faint glowing lines tracing his veins in light blue and gold. Bobby distracted himself from the weird feeling in his gut by tracing them with his free hand.

 _Sorry._ Man, he seemed to be apologizing a lot around Dane.

The alien hummed through their connection. His voice was quiet in Bobby's head, contemplative. _No need. You did not know._

As an apology for snapping, Dane seemed to be softer with the colors he washed over Bobby. Pale pink and yellow, delicate orange and blue, all the colors of a sunrise filled his head, making his fingers tingle where they lay intertwined with Dane's own. Light grey bloomed into silver, forest green curiosity threading through the colors as the alien explored his mind. Lavender pressed upon him, the color of preciousness, and Bobby giggled at the idea that someone thought him precious.

The tingling rose up his arms, encompassing his shoulders and then his chest, wrapping around him in a hug warmer than the alien's. It fuzzed his mind, making his thoughts wander more than usual. Bobby felt like he was floating, the comforting colors supporting him and carrying him away from his worries.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that, but the next thing he was aware of was a cold wetness on his fingers. His eyes slipped open, half-mast, barely aware of his hands being dipped in the pedestal of liquid. He looked up and around; they had risen at some point, Dane carrying him over to the pedestal. Some part of his brain should have worried at what was happening, but the warmth and affection Dane kept projecting onto his mind numbed all other thoughts. He let his hands dip into the liquid.

Dane cupped his hands under Bobby's, keeping the liquid from dripping out. He met Bobby's eyes, his third eye unblinking, bright and glittering in the low light of the destroyed building. It hypnotized Bobby, soothing his already low level of worry. It was beautiful.

He didn't realize his hands were being raised to his lips until it was almost too late.

" _Hey!"_

The liquid splashed back into the small pool, leaving no trace it was in Bobby's hands. He blinked, unsteady. Dane had leapt back at the shout, and was now baring too-sharp teeth at the intruder.

Uncle Press raised his pulse rifle. His glare looked even deadlier.

"Step away from my nephew, you _monster._ " he growled, his voice echoing across the few yards between them. He took a step forward and Bobby saw Dane's tendrils flare out in his periphery.

"Wait!" he called, throwing out a hand to stop his uncle's advance. "He's friendly! Don't attack!"

" _Friendly?_ " Press spat. "Do you know who that _is?"_

Bobby looked at Dane, who looked dangerous. He glanced down at the human boy and softened a little. The lights along his chest flickered uneasily.

"No, not really," Bobby admitted. "But I know he's safe. I've been meeting here with him the past couple days-"

" _That's_ why you wanted to come back?!" Press looked shocked, then worried. "Bobby, can't you see? It's been brainwashing you!"

Anger flooded into him. "No, he's not! I've been inside his head, he's totally harmless!"

"And it's been in your head, too," Press groaned. He shifted his rifle from hand to hand, speaking quickly. "That creature is a threat to everyone around it. I'll bet you asked why there's no more of its kind around here, didn't you?" Bobby had barely nodded before he plunged on. "And it told you some sob story about some monster that came and destroyed everything and killed everyone, but forgot to leave out the fact that _it was that monster._ "

Bobby gasped, spinning around to look at Dane. His face was carefully blank, smooth features expressionless. He looked at Bobby, making no move to do anything, then glanced back at Press, who continued.

"This vile creature before you brainwashed its victims by planting seeds of love and affection in their minds, drawing them deeper into its web each time their minds connected. It told them they were special, they were deserving, they were amazing. Then through some freaky mind tricks it lulled them into a sense of safety and security, and made it drink that liquid there." He pointed to the pedestal, looking so innocent in the setting light of the sun.

"Once it got them to drink that, its victim's mind would be completely open and vulnerable. Vulnerable for a hungry spider like it to suck all their personality dry, feeding on their emotions and experiences, sucking their very life force out until they were nothing but a dry, brain-dead husk." He huffed, hands tightening on his weapon. "And for a species so dependent on their powerful minds, the trauma from that killed their bodies too.

"That's also what made him survive this long while everyone else died out," Press continued. "All the life he drained from the others went straight to himself. The Aula'in-that's what he is-are only supposed to live a century, max. This one, with the lives of a million tucked into his own, survived much longer than is natural. And when we came along, he was probably _starving_."

Press raised his gun. There was movement from Bobby's side. Before his weapon was fully up, Dane was upon him. He attacked viciously, tearing the pulse rifle from his hands and throwing it down. Press went to grab for it, but the alien pushed him hard, sending him sprawling across the floor. Bobby stepped forward, but Press was already back on his feet, his decades of training kicking in and saving him.

He dashed out of the way as Dane pounced, landing where he'd been a moment before. The alien dwarfed him, nearly twice his height, but Press's smaller size was to his advantage. He weaved between Dane's long legs and arms, darting out the other side and just out of his reach. Pulling his knife out of his boot, he lunged at the alien.

...Who turned and slashed back at him, long, deadly claws extending from his fingertips. Press dodged, missing the worst of the hit, but one claw caught on his shoulder and ripped a huge hole in his spacesuit. He clutched at his arm, checking for blood. There was none, but the brief distraction was all Dane needed.

He leapt at Press, bowling him over and pinning him to the ground. His tail lashed in the air, angry red streaks of light racing along his skin as his jellyfish hair flared up and whipped around his head. He hissed, a terrifying sound that shocked Bobby to his core.

Press twisted, struggling to dislodge the giant. Dane moved with him, keeping his arms and legs pinned with barely any effort. He bared his teeth and hissed again. All three of his eyes were dark and narrowed in hatred, outlined by angry red lights. He lowered his head, teeth aiming for Press's throat.

Moving quickly, Press shot his head forward, intending to headbutt the alien. Dane was too fast for him, dodging out of the way before he made contact. An audible growl seemed to start deep in his chest, something low and horrible, so obviously not of this world. Press blanched, then set his teeth.

Darting forward again, he clamped his teeth around one of the delicate tendrils and yanked, tearing it straight off.

Dane howled silently, bioluminescence flaring white and burning Bobby's eyes. The alien fell back, clutching the spot on his head where the tendril had been. A light blue liquid seeped from between his fingers, staining his grey skin and muting the rapidly blinking lights on his head. All three eyes were clenched tightly shut against the pain, and Bobby could almost _feel_ the agony Dane was in.

Press dashed to where his rifle lay, scooped it up, and in one quick movement, turned and fired.

An agonizing screech sounded from the depths of Dane's chest. An unnatural, horrifying sound of torment, as the energy blast ripped through his shoulder. Red lights dimmed around the wound, blue blood bubbling and sizzling as it met the charged air around the opening.

Another pull of the trigger and Dane screeched again, a new wound opening on his leg. He fell to his side on the ground, clutching the leg as close to his body as his inverted joints would allow. More blood spattered across the stones before the wound cauterized itself, the sheer torture from it all making Dane's lights flash brighter in the spots they were still visible.

Press aimed his gun one last time, but found his view blocked by Bobby.

He was breathing hard, eyes wide open. He felt like he was hyperventilating. The sight behind him was burned into his retinas. He felt sick.

"P-Please," he whispered, throat dry as he forced the words out, "that's, that's enough. He's done, please just. S-Stop."

His uncle slowly lowered the gun. He glanced behind the boy at the tormented alien. The unnatural noises had tapered off, Dane now suffering silently. His skin was anything but silent, angry red flashing in patterns across the surface, but slowly slowing down. It was a pitiful sight.

"He's already going to die," Bobby tried again. "There's nothing he can do. Please just stop." His voice was getting stronger, but his will was fading fast. He was going to throw up soon, he had to fight to keep it down.

He and his uncle had a staring contest that lasted only a few moments before Press eased off the trigger. He slung the pulse rifle over his shoulder and spat on the ground Dane was lying on. "Rot in Hell, you monster," he bit out, then turned on his heel. "Bobby. Come."

Bobby turned back, relieved. Worry immediately flooded him when he saw the state Dane was in. his lights were dimming fast, and he had stopped struggling. He lay prone on the cold ground, blood seeping through the cauterized wounds on his shoulder and leg. His eyes were half-lidded, staring off into nothing. He clearly didn't have much time left.

Bobby stepped forward, not know what to do to help, but needing to do something.

"Bobby!" Press yelled. " _Now!"_

Reluctantly, Bobby abandoned the fatally injured alien and ran to his uncle's side. Press grabbed his shoulder and pushed him ahead. Bobby winced at his angry tone.

"We are going back to the ship and you are to be confined to your quarters until we're out of orbit, and that is _final._ " He pushed Bobby ahead as the boy slowed, still wanting to stay and help Dane. "That alien brainwashed you and I cannot have you sneaking off to help him until we're out of his range. Loor will stand guard, to make sure you don't sneak away when I leave."

Bobby wasn't listening. He felt a pull in his mind, yes, but something was tugging his heart to make him stay too. Dane was in pain, agonizing pain, and Bobby had come to care about the strange alien in only a few days. He needed to help him, before something bad happened. He didn't have much time left. He glanced over Press's shoulder as they exited the dilapidated building.

The last thing he saw of Dane was his curled up, destroyed body on the floor next to the pedestal.


	2. Chapter 2

i wrote. all of this today.

my fingers hurt but hey after a literal month of not being here i suddenly pop out two chapters in one day? why not

* * *

Bobby paced along the floor of his cabin, cursing quietly, thoughts racing a hundred miles an hour. He scrapped plan after plot, each one more outlandish than the last. He needed to escape, somehow. He needed to help Dane.

In the hour or so since they had gotten aboard, Bobby had thought over what Press said multiple times. Through every lens and way of thought, what he said made sense. Bobby could see that, very clearly. Hell, if he concentrated hard enough, he could _feel_ where Dane had been messing with his mind, where things felt off where he'd been meddling.

But at the same time, there was something else there. A hesitance, for lack of a better term, where Dane had been interfering with his thoughts. As if he hadn't quite wanted to do what he did, as if something was holding him back.

And of course, Bobby couldn't ignore that deep red feeling he'd glimpsed, however briefly, when their minds had become one. Dane was quick to lock it away, to hide it, and in Bobby's muddled state at the time he didn't question it. But now that he was clear-headed and actively remembering, it seemed much more important.

Was it possible to fall in love with someone after only knowing them a couple days?

"Quit that, you're giving me a headache," came a voice from the doorway.

Bobby spun around, halted in his frenetic pacing. Loor stood in the doorway, her hip cocked against the metal frame. She raised her eyebrow.

"Still trying to find a way of escape?" she asked with a smirk.

Bobby gulped.

"Not gonna happen." she turned away, heading back out the door. Before it closed, she said "Press put me in charge of babysitting you. I take my duties seriously, unlike _some_ people."

Bobby groaned and collapsed on his bed. She was onto him. Great. They were bound to leave any minute, as soon as the last-minute safety checks were done. Now how was he supposed to get out and save Dane?

A flash of light in his room and suddenly a heavy weight landed on his stomach. Sharp teeth filled his vision, ropes of slobber dripping on his sheets around him. Bobby felt his lungs struggling to inflate, panicking as they failed.

"Marley, get off of me!" he shouted.

The blink dog blinked and backed up. His oversized head tilted to the side, long pink tongue lolling out as he panted. " _Rrrruff!"_

"Ew, god, you're getting spit all over my sheets. Get off the bed. Down boy, down!"

Marley leapt off the bed, landing in a crouch. He wanted to play, and made that clear in the way his long lion's tail thumped on the ground.

"No boy, no playing right now," Bobby sighed. "I'm not in the mood."

Marley whined and climbed back onto the bed with his owner. Bobby groaned as the blink dog wiggled his head under his master's arm, but gave in and scratched between his ears. "Alright, I'll at least pet you, you overgrown Abra."

Indignant at being related to a Pokemon, Marley sat back up, turning his head away. With a flash of light, he was gone, instead standing near Bobby's desk. He pointed his nose towards the small jar of treats Bobby kept there, glancing back at Bobby with a hopeful look on his face.

"Ugh, so needy." Bobby stood anyways, following the blink dog and reaching into the jar. Mindful of the mouthful of sharp teeth, he fed a couple to him.

Suddenly, an idea occurred. "You can take messages to people, right? If I write it down?" he asked.

Marley licked his chops and nodded, a command he'd learned to bypass the communication barrier between them. It looked awkward with his oversized canine head, but it was effective enough.

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to do something for me," Bobby continued, opening a drawer on the desk and pulling out a paper and pen. "I'm gonna owe Spader for this, big time, but it'll be worth it."

He scribbled out a note on the paper and rolled it up tight, holding it closed with a rubber band. He took a breath, thought _well, I guess I'm doing this,_ and gave it to Marley, again mindful of the teeth.

"Okay boy, take this to Spader please. I'll give you another treat as soon as you get back, I promise."

Marley took the rolled-up note and nodded again. The paper was already coated in a thin layer of slobber, but it would have to do. The blink dog blinked out, Bobby shielding his eyes from the flash of light.

A few minutes later, he returned, jumping on Bobby and demanding treats. Bobby laughed and complied, then sat down to wait.

An explosion rocked the ship from just down the hallway. Seconds later, the sprinklers sprang to life, quickly drenching Bobby. Out in the hallway, he heard a shout.

" _Spader!_ " Loor called angrily. "What did we tell you about cooking?"

Her footsteps pounded down the hallway towards the noise. Bobby waited about two seconds, then ran.

Out the door, down the hallway in the opposite direction from the distraction he ran. Dodging a soaked Aja with a fire extinguisher- " _Not my computer!"_ -he soon made it to the docking bay, where a line of skimmers awaited pilots. Bobby threw on his skintight spacesuit, grabbed a first aid kit, and hopped on.

Waiting the few seconds for the airtight globe to mold to his head was torture. Any second, he expected Press to run in and catch him, dragging him back to his room and away from the alien. But he didn't come, the globe finished shifting, and Bobby gunned the engine.

The energy dome shimmered to life around the top of the skimmer, enclosing him in a bubble of air. As soon as the skimmer's engine flared to life, the docking bay door started opening. Bobby didn't even let it finish before he was out the door and into the open space high above the planet's surface.

Abandoning the spacecraft and air globe in some bushes, Bobby stumbled his way through the foliage towards the destroyed building. It was standing, just as beautiful as when he first saw it, in the middle of a clearing. The strange glowing blue lights he'd seen in the hologram what felt like so long ago were back, floating meters off the ground, bumping into each other. This close, they looked like sleepy fireflies, except always lit. and bright blue.

In the darkness, Bobby had to walk more carefully than before. He felt his way through the large doorway, into the main area of the hall. Stepping around fallen bricks, he looked around frantically, trying to find Dane.

Back at the pedestal where it all started, Bobby searched for the alien. Where he'd fallen earlier, there was a large pool of drying blue blood. A trail of it led off into the darkness, as if Dane had dragged himself away. Bobby shuddered to think of how painful that must have been.

"Dane?" he called, stepping towards the dark corner of the cathedral. He hadn't thought to bring a light, he couldn't see where the alien had gone. "Dane?" he tried again. "I'm here, it's just me. I want to help."

A moment passed, giving Bobby just enough time to worry he was too late. Then a faint blue light appeared.

Bobby followed the light into the darkness. His foot bumped into something soft and he fell to his knees, feeling along the figure in the dark. It was a leg, and as his hand passed along the sticky injury, he almost lost his dinner.

He moved up more, closer to the light, which he now saw was Dane's third eye. High on his forehead, it was only open a tiny sliver. It watched him, too far gone to be cautious.

Then one of the moons passed from behind a cloud, bathing them in light. Bobby saw the terrible shape Dane was in, and wanted to cry.

His wounds, cauterized though they were, were still bleeding freely. A dark blue something was spreading through the alien's veins, spreading up around his shoulder and neck and down his leg, around his hip. The wounds themselves were sticky with blood, dripping steadily onto the ground in a growing pool. Apart from where the blue was spreading across his body, Dane's skin was deathly white.

It was a sad sight, and one that terrified Bobby.

"Here I-" he stuttered, unclipping the first aid box from where he'd attached it to his gun holster. "I brought some things that should help. I d-don't know how much good our medicine will be for you, b-but there's gauze and bandages so that should b-be good, right?"

Dane didn't respond, didn't move, didn't acknowledge that Bobby was even there. If his eye wasn't open, watching Bobby steadily through the haze of pain over it, he wouldn't have even known the alien was alive.

Bobby stopped talking and got to work. Shifting Dane carefully until he was completely on his side, he moved the arm with the injured shoulder until it was in a good position to wrap. He fished the emergency canteen of water out of the kit and wet a wad of gauze. Biting his lip, he forced himself to wipe down the wound, cleaning away the worst of the blood and chunks of burnt skin.

When it was clean, he wadded up another pad of gauze and wrapped it carefully against the wound. He needed another before it was completely covered, but soon, he was done. Moving down to the injured leg, he repeated the process, proud of himself for now throwing up all over the alien.

When he was done, he sat back and sighed. Dane hadn't moved since he started, but the one eye that was open was open a little wider. As he watched, the other two opened as well, watching Bobby as he shoved all the used materials to the side. They still looked a little hazy, but at least Dane was feeling marginally more alert. That was a good sign.

"I'd offer you some Ibuprofen, but I'm not sure how your alien biology would handle it," Bobby joked halfheartedly, trying to lighten the mood but not really feeling it. "I don't wanna poison you or anything."

The silence was getting to him, so he changed tactics but kept talking. "So I thought about what Uncle Press said and all, and I just wanna say that you're a piece of shit."

Dane seemed taken aback. He finally moved, though only to shift away a centimeter.

Bobby laughed. "Yeah, lemme finish. You're a piece of shit. You did pretty bad things, and there's no way I can ignore that, but there's also something else about you I noticed."

He shifted closer, wetting another strip of gauze as he did and pressing it to Dane's temple, where the ripped-out tendril had been bleeding. It was now dry, but it had left quite the mess. Bobby dabbed at it, carefully wiping the dried blood away from the wound. He knew how sensitive these tendrils were, and having Press rip one out with his teeth like that, while an effective distraction, was no doubt hellishly painful.

He continued talking, even as he pulled out a smiley face band-aid and pressed it on. "While we were doing that freaky Vulcan mind-meld thing, I started to see something. Feel it, rather, but whatever. I started to feel something you were feeling, started to get a glimpse at the real you, but you closed it up and locked it away before I could get a good look. Feel. Whatever."

He shifted, closing the kit box and pillowing his head on it, lying down on the hard stone floor in front of Dane. The alien turned his head, keeping Bobby in his sights the whole time. They were only inches away. Bobby felt cold.

"I don't know, well, anything about you," he said softly. He reached forward and intertwined their hands, resting them between their heads. "I feel there's a lot you haven't told me. Strike that- I _know_ there's a lot you haven't told me. But I feel there's a lot more you won't tell yourself." He shifted closer, reaching up his other hand and stroking the alien's cheek. "I want to know more about that red feeling I keep having around you. Dark red, warm. Caring." He closed his eyes.

"Please."

A moment passed. Nothing. Bobby opened his eyes, but Dane had closed all three of his. A spike of panic lanced through Bobby, thinking that the alien was gone. But then, one of the three remaining tendrils sprouting from his head shifted.

It moved through the faded jellyfish hair, slowly shifting forward until it was on the ground between them. Dane opened his eyes, watching it with a look of mild frustration. Bobby helped him along, sliding his hand forward until the tendril rested across his fingertips. He lifted it, gently, and touched it to his cheek.

A burst of color greeted his closed eyes, a warm tingly feeling following. It was weaker than he remembered, but it was there. Dark red, warm. Caring.

It was love.

Bobby gasped as he saw images of Dane's life. He saw the dark figure again, sucking the souls out of the crowd of aliens, but this time, he saw the figure for who he really was- Dane. The other Aula'in collapsed, their lights extinguished forever, and Dane raised his head, a victorious glint to his eyes. A moment later, that glint disappeared, replaced by guilt.

 _They had too much_.

Taller Aula'in pranced around, going about their business. They were bedecked in dazzling stones, delicate filigree draped around their long necks and limbs. They laughed, in their own way, fluttering lights the color of vanity speckling their graceful bodies.

And in the background was Dane, small, cold, lost.

 _I didn't have enough._

They mocked him for his size, so much smaller than the rest of them. They harassed him, _look at that little one, no jewels, no family, no one to love him. How pitiful!_ They stepped over him or on him, avoiding his every plea for help. His brains, once so favored among them, had long lost their interest when he showed himself too small for their grand standards.

 _I had to do something._

So he used those brains, his strength of mental connection, to lure them in. At first, only for company did he use his talents. Making them stay with him was so much easier. And if they agreed with everything he said, well, where's the harm in that? They'll only be released later, after all. Everything will be fine!

Until they remembered what he did. And shunned him even more. And called him horrible, witchcraft, criminal. _How dare you twist our minds with your speak!_ Telepathy was only meant for communication, after all.

So he got angry, naturally. Anger manifested as hatred, manifested as misanthropy, manifested as torture. But that wasn't enough.

So he took the only thing they had left. Taking, taking, all he knew. He took their minds, took them for himself. And the added bonus of extra years was just that, an added bonus.

They feared him, they wrote about him. They tried to warn others, but with each meal of the mind he consumed, he grew stronger. They couldn't hold back, they flocked to him in droves. He took them all.

 _I have regretted it ever since._

His greed caused the world to fall.

And left only him in it.

Bobby gasped, eyes shooting open. Dane was watching him, blue tears leaking from two of his eyes. The third one stayed closed, still struggling to project his feelings to the human.

 _I cannot forgive myself, so why should you?_

The images were gone, but the red was still there. Bobby thought long and hard, then came to a decision. He pushed against it, letting the deep color envelop him.

 _I don't forgive you, but that's fine_ he thought. _What you did was horrible, but you regret it enough for the both of us. I'm sorry you had to go through this, even if it was kind of your own doing. They shouldn't have treated you like that, and you shouldn't have responded that way. But you can't always control your reactions to things. I should know that, heh._

He sat in his cloud of red, made purely for him, and projected his own feelings. Those feelings of affection, of sadness, or curiosity and excitement flooded around him, manifesting in a rainbow of their own.

The tendril still clasped to Bobby's cheek twitched, and Dane sighed. Bobby's eyes cracked open to see the alien smiling blissfully, all three eyes slipping shut.

 _I love you._

The thought came unbidden, and Bobby couldn't tell whose it was. But it was, and it was unsurprising. He didn't say anything after that.

They lay there for awhile, in silence, both mental and audible. Bobby took to stroking the tendril lying on his face, the smoothness of it fascinating. It twitched against his skin every time he did that, which made him giggle softly. It fluttered against his cheek, moving up to curl around his ear, tracing the shell of it. It's movements were light, barely-there, and sort of ticklish. Bobby figured Dane was just playing with him, but when he looked at the alien, the expression on his face told a vastly different story.

Dane's mouth hung open, his eyes half-lidded. A light purple tongue was convulsing inside his mouth, and his breaths seemed to be coming quicker than they had been earlier. His eyes were still hazed over, but now they seemed to be from something else entirely.

When Bobby met his eyes, Dane's mouth snapped shut. He looked embarrassed, if the light blue tinge to his cheeks and expression were any indication.

Bobby had a feeling he knew what was going on.

"Do you…" _like this?_ he asked, slipping into the mental connection again. He gave an experimental stroke of the tendril and Dane caught his breath. His eyes screwed shut and a rumbling sound started deep in his chest.

 _Is he purring?_

Bobby didn't mean to think that, and Dane heard.

 _You're doing something I would rather you stopped, before you go too far._ Dane's mouth opened and he panted. Bobby kept stroking the tendril, not knowing how to feel about this but sort of not wanting to stop.

His fingers trailed further up the tendril, towards the base. He pressed lightly against the area where it met the skull, kneading the skin there. Releasing Dane's hand with his other, he reached up and continued to stroke the writhing tendril.

The lights around Dane's face were heating up red again, as they did earlier, but the color seemed different somehow. Looking at it, all Bobby could think about was that red cloud in Dane's mind, so many ties in it to Bobby and nothing else, as if it were made for him. That red cloud unfurled itself on Dane's skin, the bioluminescence speaking _love, love you, love you._

 _Stop that,_ Dane feebly thought. The purring was overpowering his mental voice, which was starting to sound slurred. _You know not what you do._

 _What if I do?_ Bobby asked. _What if I know exactly what I'm doing?_

He yelped as he was suddenly overturned, Dane's far too still form finding a burst of energy and flipping them over. He leaned over Bobby, encompassing him, his much larger body pinning him down with its sheer size.

 _Then you know what I am going to do._

The two remaining tendrils curled around his neck, pressing against spots that sent shivers up Bobby's spine. Sparks danced through his nerves, sparks that made him moan with the feeling. It was near overwhelming, the sheer size of the _red red red_ he felt overtaking him and sending him plunging into the cloud of love and now, lust.

Lips pressed into his neck, too-sharp teeth nipping, too-long tongue curling out and tasting. It dipped into the hollow of his throat, hotter than the rest of him, hotter than even Bobby's overheated skin. Bobby felt it through the fog of heat in his mind, the haze of _want want want_ almost too much to handle.

Something hot and hard pressed into his mind, and Bobby saw stars.


	3. Chapter 3

on a roll, and this is done. here we go, final words at the bottom!

enjoy this plot twist~

* * *

Bobby awoke curled in the arms of a deathly cold body.

Things seemed to move in slow motion as Press dragged him up by his arm, separating him from the still form of the alien. His uncle was saying something but Bobby couldn't hear, couldn't process anything beyond _he's too still, he's too still._ Press was shouting, using the tip of his pulse rifle to nudge the body, making sure it was-

Making sure Dane was dead.

Time stayed slowed down as they made their way back to the ship. Press towed Bobby's abandoned skimmer behind his, or maybe he made Bobby drive, he couldn't remember. Everything seemed muted, the colors of the world gone now in the face of the tragedy he'd been struck with. His mind was numb, everything was numb, he couldn't feel anymore now that that presence so close to his mind was gone.

Press ranted at him for hours, but none of it stuck. Bobby didn't hear him. He seemed to realize this, because he finally let his nephew go. He was guarded by both Loor and Alder this time, to make extra sure he didn't try to escape again. He had no intention of trying, but even Marley was detained so he couldn't pass any more messages along (Spader had ratted him out when accosted. He apologized to Bobby, saying to not worry about owing him, but Bobby didn't hear any of it).

They soon launched, leaving the war-torn planet far behind. Leaving the cold body of the man Bobby loved behind.

Weeks passed.

Bobby didn't get any better. Press figured that, given time, he would forget the whole ordeal. He waited a week, then started trying to get back in Bobby's good graces. He didn't need to try, the boy was unresponsive to everything he did. He kept it up for some weeks, trying to get his nephew to smile, to interact with the crew, to do something other than lay in his quarters and stare at the wall, chasing that faint wisp leftover in his mind.

Even the other Travelers tried. Siry crawled through the air vents to Bobby's cabin and tried to tempt him into a game of Hide-and-Seek; it didn't work. Bobby waved him off, turning back to his wall.

Spader and Gunny came next, offering to buy him a round of drinks the next time they docked at a port. Still no response. They lasted a couple days longer than Siry, but soon gave in as well.

The others tried on their own, in their various ways, to cheer him up. Nothing really helped. Elli, sweet grandmother she was, came to sit with him one evening. They didn't talk, she didn't try to get him to do anything, they just sat together on his bed in silence for a few hours. That helped more than anything, but didn't do much to change his mood.

After that, he finally got the energy to leave his cabin one evening. The artificial lights were dimmed slightly, to keep everyone in their circadian cycles, and Bobby had to walk carefully down the hallways lest he trip over something.

He wandered around the ship a bit, aimlessly, not really having a destination and picking directions at random. He passed Saangi, Loor's little sister, who smiled at him, clearly pleased he was at least up and about. She ran off, doubtlessly to tell everyone the good news. Bobby sighed. He probably only had a half hour max until he was swarmed by his friends. Better make the most of it by continuing to do nothing.

Bobby found himself back where he started, at the window he'd been watching out just before Patrick called him to the bridge all those weeks ago. A month ago? Two? He couldn't remember, it had all blurred together. That should probably be worrisome. He didn't care.

 _You should care._

Bobby started at the voice, barely a whisper. He'd been poking mentally at that wisp of a presence Dane's constant melding had left in his mind. He cursed.

"Amazing. I'm going crazy."

 _You always were. I still loved you._

Bobby rolled his eyes. "I guess I can still have this, even if it's just me talking to myself, huh?"

The voice was quiet. "Great, now you're quiet?" Bobby asked sarcastically. "I can't even talk to myself correctly. Perfect. Fan-fucking-tastic."

The silence pressed upon him, suffocating. Bobby was angry, at himself, at Press, at Dane, at the universe for doing this to him. "What the hell did I do to deserve this?!" he shouted at the window. A stray asteroid passed them by, and Bobby flipped it off. "I didn't ask for this, you know! I didn't ask to go crazy. I didn't ask to fall in love with a murderer with a heart of gold and red, I didn't ask for him to die, I didn't ask for _any_ of this!"

Breathing hard, Bobby looked around for something to throw. He needed to throw something, he needed to let out some of his pent up anger, this built up energy he didn't know he had.

Instead, his eyes fell on the airlock.

He approached it slowly, thoughts suddenly silent. Everything went tunnel-vision. All he could see was the airlock and the emptiness behind it. He didn't have his space suit on, he didn't have an airglobe with him, there would be nothing protecting him from the vacuum of space out there. Nothing.

He put his hand on the handle.

Something in his mind went _snap_ , and the world went dark.

* * *

Bobby opened his eyes to a cloud of red and a pissed-off Dane.

"What are you _thinking?!"_ he shouted. Angry red swirled around them, catching Bobby up in a cloud of worry. He started ranting, but didn't get very far before finding a human attached to his waist. "Wha-"

"Dane oh my god it's you it's really you I can't believe you're here you're fine you're alive oh my god oh my god _Dane_." Bobby stopped to take a breath, tears streaming down his face. "You're alive!"

"Wrong."

Bobby gasped, stepping back. "What do you mean? You're right there, obviously you're-"

"Where are we, right now? Where are we?"

Bobby looked around then blanched. "We're… in my mind," he whispered.

Dane reached for him, but suddenly Bobby exploded. "Fucking _great!_ I've gone insane, I'm so far gone I'm retreating into my own goddamn _mind!_ I thought talking to myself was bad, this is _just_. _Perfect!_ " He clawed at his head, struggling to wake himself up so he could finish what he started.

Cool hands clasped his own, stopping him mid-action. Bobby looked up into the concerned eyes of Dane, glittering blue and worried for him, just for him. Anxious grey swirled around them, tracing Bobby's face with wisps of cold worry.

"Stop," he said. Only now, Bobby realized he was using his mouth to speak. Only in his mind, could Dane use vocal chords that didn't exist. "You are not crazy," he continued, "You have not gone insane. I _am_ here, but only in your mind."

"Sure sounds like crazy to me," Bobby muttered bitterly.

"You are _not_ crazy," Dane repeated. "I imprinted a part of my mind on yours when we fornicated that night. I am here with you, in a way, and you are not crazy."

"Fornicated?" Bobby laughed. "Don't you mean: put a whole new spin on the term 'mindfucked'?"

Dane chuckled, the air tickled with tinges of yellow and pink, though the ever-present grey and red still billowed around them. "Yes, I suppose that is true. Still, you do not need to end your life over this. Over _me_. You have so much to live for, you only knew me a short time."

"But I love you!" Bobby protested. "You didn't deserve what happened to you, it tears me up every day."

"You only knew me a handful of days," Dane said flatly. "I love you too, Bobby, you know this. You saw this. But you do not die over someone you knew so short a time. I would never forgive you."

Bobby lowered his head, chastised. He knew Dane was right, but it was just too painful to think about. He knew he was being stupid, but it just hurt too much.

He leaned his head against the Aula'in's chest. "What do I do?" he asked softly.

Long arms came around his shoulders, cradling him close. "You live," Dane replied. "You live for the both of us. And maybe someday, we will meet again. In another universe, in another life, where maybe, I will finally be redeemable. Maybe there we can be together. But not here."

Bobby squeezed his middle tightly, not wanted to let go and go back to the waking world, where there was no Dane. "You'll still be in my mind, right?" he asked desperately. "We can still talk while I'm asleep, right? Right?"

Dane shook his head, lowering himself until they were eye to eye. "Unfortunately, I only had minimal energy when I imprinted on you. Showing myself to you like this, speaking to you as you do, used most of that up. Even now, I feel myself fading."

As he watched, the image in front of him flickered. Bobby's arms were empty, and then they weren't. Dane simply stopped existing, before coming back, fainter than before. Bobby caught his breath, eyes burning. "No…"

"I am truly sorry I couldn't be with you longer," Dane said quickly, his form flickering again, fading fast. "But I had to do something before you made a decision you would regret. Do not blame yourself. Love yourself. Love as I have loved you, and live."

He pressed a kiss to Bobby's forehead, and Bobby woke up.

"I love you."

* * *

That's how the others found him. Collapsed against the airlock, watching out the window into the emptiness of space. He didn't hear them at first, their voices as muted as they'd been for over a month. Bobby could remember now. One month, two weeks, and five days. One month, two weeks, and seven days since he met Dane. one month, two weeks, and five days since Dane died.

But the information didn't bother him any more. He felt that familiar presence in his mind, weaker than ever, but there. A faint wisp of a presence, barely there, but comforting.

He heard them speak. The others' words came to him. They were worried. They were wondering what he was doing. They were scared, and caring, and loving, and there.

"I'm fine," Bobby said, finally, and meant it. He glanced back out the window and watched space pass them by, and smiled.

All of eternity was laid out before him. Every day, every life, every star and galaxy and beginning and end, end to end and never-ending. Twinkling, bright dark masses, stars singing their dying breaths and making ways for new lives to come after, new stars. Planets are but dots on this cosmic map, stars and galaxies and nebulae smudges, getting bigger as you go but somehow seeming small, so small in the grand scheme of things. Oh, how the universe made you feel so small, made you feel so insignificant in its significance. How it made you want to weep with the sheer size of it all. With the sheer sadness of it all.

With the sheer beauty of it all.

He would be fine.

* * *

and so we find ourselves at the end of the road. a fairly short one, i mean. three days, three chapters. never thought id have it in me. guess i surprised even myself yall

so a few words: thank you so so much to jaymprofio, who gave me that mindfuck pun. thanks to the squad on the pendragon discord server for cheering me on through this and all my other writing. and thanks to sethryncaege, for writing such beautiful and loving reviews on everything i write

i love all of you, and hope this ending is sufficient for the heartbreak i put you through

now onto the next project! whatever that may be~


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